As you shop for a Learning Management System (LMS) or other learning technology, your first step is to do some LMS research and get comfortable with vendors, features and functionality.
With LMS and other learning platforms constantly evolving and specializing, the learning management system market growth has exploded over the past decade. The global LMS market has seen a lot of innovation in adaptive learning, microlearning, virtual/hybrid learning, ecommerce, online learning, artificial intelligence, integrations and more. Hundreds of vendors specializing in specific use cases have entered the space in the past few years and all claim to be the best LMS. Because of this growth, there’s a lot to know and a corresponding need for in-depth LMS research.
Whether you need to acquire a corporate LMS, upgrade your current LMS to include mobile learning, or find a platform to blend social learning with performance management, the first step in the Learning Management System Buying Process is to research the market. But where do you start? Is a cloud LMS platform right for you? What type of content fits your needs? Talented Learning is here to help!
Talented Learning has a wide range of curated resources such as case studies, on-demand webinars, panel discussions and podcasts to get you up to speed quickly and prepared to develop a world-class business case.
Before you start the process of developing your business case or looking for vendors, it’s important to take a good look around at the LMS market to get oriented, especially with the explosive LMS market growth in recent years. Completing your due diligence to make sure you know exactly what your organization needs and what type of LMS you’re searching for will ensure the system you choose serves you for years to come.
Can you answer these types of questions?
- Are you looking for customer education or is it more important that your LMS focuses on creating an onboarding process?
- What vendor solutions are your competitors using?
- What results are your competitors experiencing and measuring?
- What type of learner experiences do you want?
- What are the new best practices for your use case? Or use cases you haven’t considered?
- What vendors are innovating and why?
- What are the hottest features and learning techniques?
If you can’t answer these questions, you’re not ready to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new learning management system! Don’t worry though, the Talented Learning Center has the world’s largest collection of fiercely independent LMS research to start your journey on the right, educated foot!
You’ll gain a solid understanding of what’s available, what pricing is reasonable, and what your competition is doing in terms of learning systems.
Downsides of not doing LMS research
Don’t be in a hurry to fail! Start your buying process with a solid foundation of knowledge. There are many downsides that can occur if the due diligence of market research isn’t done. Here are just a few:
- Relying only on vendor websites results in biased information. They’re promoting their own products, so obviously each one will seem great! But is it right for your organization?
- Similarly, third-party review sites for learning management systems can be repetitive, with every review giving the same accolades. This doesn’t provide you with information about less-common features, or specific integrations that might be beneficial.
- If you’re new to the process or haven’t purchased an LMS or learning system in a while, the top vendors have changed, and may even be new to you. This could mean you buy an old, boring system when your best LMS goes unrecognized.
- There’s no LMS market insight into what your competition is doing for their own learning programs, and how your organization stacks up against them. To stay competitive, knowledge (from LMS market research) is power.
- As we mentioned, the developers of top-tier learning management systems are constantly innovating; knowing what’s available could accelerate the acquisition of your LMS solution.
Why does LMS research pay off?
LMS research doesn’t have to be difficult if you use the curated resources on the Talented Learning Center. There will be time later to examine vendor websites and third-party review sites, but a more macro view of the marketplace now will help you stay focused later.
The best source to learn about vendors, current learning systems and best practices is from the experts and organizations that are successfully working in the industry. Here’s why:
- Understanding how your organization stacks up compared to your competition is critical to getting ahead.
- Educating yourself on best practices will help you avoid common mistakes in the buying process and accelerate the success of your LMS platform deployment.
- Uncovering which vendors enable the practitioner to be successful helps orient you to the best vendor solutions for your organization’s needs.
- Learning what industry practitioners say – good and bad – about the many learning solutions gives you an advantage in the overall buying process.
Talented Learning investigates and studies learning system implementations and aggregates the best client stories from around the world to provide you with comprehensive information. Like we said, we’re here to help!
Join the Talented Learning Center
Benefits of Membership
If you are shopping for an LMS or other learning system, join the Talented Learning Center to access deep, fiercely-independent research and education needed to succeed. We have free and premium membership levels outlined below:
Become a Basic Member
Many resources in the Talented Learning Center are available when you sign up for FREE as a Basic Member. You’ll have access to content such as:
- Learning System Client Case Studies Directory – Search real-life case studies by use case, vendor name, functionality, location, industry & other criteria.
- The Talented Learning Show Podcast – Information and advice from many practitioners about their learning initiatives.
- Vendor Shortlister – Quickly find qualified vendor options based on hundreds of differentiating criteria.
- Living Vendor Profiles – In-depth and current research on the world’s best learning vendors.
- Executive Briefing Demonstrations – Demos highlighting the business, functional and technical differentiators of top vendor solutions.
- Hot Takes with John Leh (videos) – Tap into John Leh’s expertise in a series of short video reviews and commentary on leading learning systems.
Become a Premium Member (7-day free trial)
As you’re proceeding through the Learning System Buying Process, you’re likely to face some obstacles and uncertainty about how to proceed. Once again, we’re here to help! Premium Membership in the Talented Learning Center includes many more resources to help you at every stage of the LMS or learning systems buying process. Try it FREE for 7 days when you sign up for Premium Membership, where you’ll receive all the benefits of Basic Membership, plus:
- Ask John Leh Videos – Learn about learning systems technology one question at a time with our library of short informational videos.
- Microlessons, Courses and Certifications – Get up to speed with our library of over 20 (and growing), 15-minute, microlessons on learning systems use cases, stages of the buying process and key functional capabilities.
- On-Demand Webinars – Get in-depth expert advice with our deep catalog of webinars and panel discussions on a wide variety of topics from buying, implementing and improving your learning system initiatives
Related Posts
Podcast 54: Professional Development LMS Trends with Phil Vervaet
How are leading-edge learning platforms helping associations drive professional development? Find out in this episode of The Talented Learning Show podcast...
5 Ways to Buy an LMS You Will Hate
If you're in the market for a learning system, beware. It's all too easy to buy an LMS you will hate. Learn how to avoid common purchasing pitfalls...
LMS License Models: Top 9 Ways to Buy
What are the most common LMS license models? Find out what our research reveals, so you can choose a learning platform that best meets your organization's needs.
2022 Top 40 Learning Systems Award Winners
Which learning systems are best for corporate learning? Find out about the top 40 learning systems award winners for 2022.
Top Learning Systems: 40 Vendors to Know in 2021
The learning system landscape has changed dramatically in a short time. Here are the top 40 learning technology vendors you should know about in 2021.
Meet The Talented Learning Center: What’s In It For You?
The Talented Learning Center is the world's only educational and research community centered on the learning systems marketplace.
LMS Planning: Is Your Learning Ecosystem Future-Proof?
Decision-makers are under intense pressure to modernize their systems, so they can create, promote, deliver, measure and expand digital offerings as rapidly as possible. As a result, learning technology ecosystems are facing extraordinary scrutiny.
Which Continuing Education LMS Would You Choose?
To add insult to injury, although the CE Buyer is a large organization, the level of support provided by the LMS vendor was minimal-to-non-existent, and vendor executives were nowhere to be found.